As if it weren't enough that North Carolina already doesn't recognize same-sex unions, the state votes May 8 on a ballot measure that reads: "Constitutional amendment to provide that marriage between one man and one woman is the only domestic legal union that shall be valid or recognized by this State."

This ad campaign, by Winston-Salem agency The Variable, plays on segregation-era discrimination to shock voters into voting down the offensive legislation, called Amendment 1: "On May 8th, make history. Don't repeat it."

French Socialist presidential candidate François Hollande -- who leads incumbent Nicolas Sarkozy after the first round of voting -- has co-opted Jay-Z and Kanye West's anthem "Ni*as In Paris" for his latest campaign ad. The song backgrounds footage that shows Hollande campaigning in the outer Parisian suburbs among people of various ethnic backgrounds, as they hold up their voter registration cards. And Slate helpfully points out: "Creil," one of the suburbs Hollande campaigns in during the ad, is pronounced "cray" as in, "That sht Creil."

Despite the perhaps questionable song choice, Hollande's general play is a smart one -- Sarkozy has a lousy history with the outer regions of the Paris metro area, where a high percentage of racial minority and immigrant populations live. The next round of voting is May 6.

In a "public-private partnership between the travel industry and the U.S. government," this $12.3 million "Land of Dreams" ad campaign by Discover America will hit the U.K., Japan, and Canada in the next few months, then expand to Brazil and South Korea. Just in case no one realizes that THIS is what America is really like.